1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum for a clothes dryer and, in particular, to a drum for a clothes dryer having a plurality of baffles projecting from an internal circumference of a drum for lifting and moving clothes to be dried.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a clothes dryer dries laundry by removing water from the laundry. Usually, the clothes dryer is installed beside a washer to be used upon completion of the washing process.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a conventional clothes dryer. The conventional clothes dryer includes a casing 10 having a hexahedral shape so as to have an internal space, a rotating drum 30 supported by a roller R placed inside the casing 10, a driving motor 20 installed inside the casing 10 for generating a driving force in order to rotate the drum 30, a belt 40 and a pulley 41 connecting the driving motor 20 with the drum 30 for transmitting rotational force from the driving motor 20 to the drum 30, a circular rear plate 50 covering the rear side of the drum 30 and having an air suction port 51 constructed with a plurality of through holes, and a circular front plate 60 covering the front side of the drum 30 and having an input opening 61 and an air exhaust port 62. A plurality of air holes 11 is formed in the casing 10.
A suction duct 70 is connected to the air suction port 51 as a path through which air is drawn from outside into the drum 30. A heater (H) is installed at an inlet portion of the suction duct 70 for heating the intake air. An exhaust duct 80 is connected to the air exhaust port 62 to provide a path through which air from inside the drum 30 is discharged upon completion of the drying process. A fan 91 is installed inside the exhaust duct 80 for generating blasts by the driving motor 20.
A door (D) for opening/closing the clothes dryer is installed in a front surface of the casing 10, and a filter (F) for filtering impurities, such as lint, is installed inside the exhaust duct 80.
To operate the conventional clothes dryer, a user opens the door (D) in the front surface of the casing 10, puts clothes into the drum 30 through the input opening 61 and closes the door (D). When the user turns on an operation switch, power is applied to operate the driving motor 20.
The driving force generated by the driving motor 20 is transmitted to the drum 30 through the pulley 40 and the belt 41 to rotate the drum 30 and to operate the fan 91. The clothes in the drum 30 drop according to rotation of the drum 30. Simultaneously, air drawn from outside by the suction force of the fan 91 is heated by the heater (H), flows into the drum 30 through the suction port 51 to dry the clothes inside the drum 30, is exhausted through the exhaust port 62 and is discharged outside the casing 10 through the exhaust duct 80. A plurality of baffles 32 installed in an inner circumference of the drum 30 rotate together with the drum 30 to increase the area in contact with the heated air.
This process is performed continually until the clothes in the drum 30 are dry. When the drying process is finished, the user opens the door (D) and pulls out the dry clothes through the input opening 61.
As depicted in greater detail in FIG. 2, a sectional view taken along line Axe2x80x94A of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3, a perspective view of the drum, the drum 30 is constructed with a cylindrical body 31, and the plurality of baffles 32 project from the inner circumference of the cylindrical body 31 at regular intervals toward the center. The plurality of baffles 32 are formed along the length of the cylindrical body 31. In the embodiment shown, three baffles project from the inner circumference of the cylindrical body 31 at a 120xc2x0 angle.
When the cylindrical body 31 rotates, the plurality of baffles 32 serves to move and lift the clothes inside the drum 30 to the upper portion of the drum 30. When the plurality of baffles 32 from which the clothes are hanging moves to an upper portion of the drum 30, the clothes drop freely from the upper portion to a bottom portion of the drum 30. The motion and heated air serve to dry the clothes in the drum.
However, in the conventional clothes dryer, because a length of the plurality of baffles 32 is the same as a length of the cylindrical body 31, it is difficult to disperse the clothes uniformly. As a result, the clothes clump around one place of the drum 30, and additional time is required to dry the clothes, thereby hampering dryer efficiency.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the drum 30 rotates, heated air flows into the upper portion of the drum 30 and is exhausted through the exhaust port 62. Accordingly, the clothes tossed up to the upper portion of the drum 30 by the baffles 32 drop freely and clump around the exhaust port 62 due to the same flow of the air.
In addition, when the clothes clump around the exhaust port 62, it increases the friction of the air exhausted through the exhaust port 62, as well as the load on and noise of the fan 91.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drum for a clothes dryer which is capable of improving clothes drying efficiency by facilitating contact between clothes and heated air by providing a plurality of baffles to regularly disperse clothes housed inside a drum.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a drum for a clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a rotating cylindrical body for housing clothes, and a plurality of baffles projecting lengthwise from an inner circumference of the cylindrical body for lifting the clothes. The plurality of baffles is disposed so as to become more distant from or draw closer to the side of the cylindrical body gradually at regular intervals.
In another embodiment, a drum for a clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a cylindrical rotating body for housing clothes, and a plurality of baffles projecting from an inner circumference of the cylindrical body lengthwise along the cylindrical body for lifting the clothes. At least one baffle is installed at each disposal domain, the inner circumference of the cylindrical body being divided into a plurality of disposal domains disposed lengthwise along the cylindrical body, each baffle being the same size as a width of each disposal domain at which each baffle is disposed and having the same width as each other. The plurality of baffles is formed so as to have the same interval in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body.
A ratio (h/d) of a height (h) of each baffle to the inner diameter (d) of the cylindrical body is within the range of 1/10xcx9c2/10.
A ratio (1/L) of a length (l) of each baffle to a length (L) of the cylindrical body is greater than 3/10 and less than 10/10.
In the drum for the clothes dryer in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of disposal domains are set so as to have a region which overlaps each other.
In the drum for the clothes dryer in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, the disposal domains do not overlap each other.
In yet another embodiment, a drum for a clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a rotating cylindrical body for housing clothes, and a plurality of baffles projecting from an inner circumference of the cylindrical body lengthwise along the cylindrical body for lifting the clothes, the plurality of baffles being inclined with respect to the length of the cylindrical body.
The cylindrical body sucks air through the side surface and discharges air through the other side surface, and the baffles placed at the side surface through which air is drawn are formed so as to be lower than the baffles placed at the other side surface from which air is discharged.
An angle of inclination (xcex1) of the plurality of baffles is 0xc2x0 less than xcex1xe2x89xa620xc2x0 in the length direction of the cylindrical body.
The plurality of baffles is formed so as to be inclined with respect to a normal direction of the cylindrical body.
An angle of inclination (xcex2) of the plurality of baffles is 0xc2x0 less than xcex2xe2x89xa645xc2x0 toward the normal direction of the cylindrical body.
A ratio (h/d) of a height (h) of each baffle to the inner diameter (d) of the cylindrical body is within the range of 1/10xcx9c2/10.
One of the baffles has a protrusion portion projecting from the end of the side from which air is discharged and having a certain height.
In a further embodiment, a drum for a clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a rotating cylindrical body for housing clothes, and a plurality of baffles projecting from the inner circumference of the cylindrical body lengthwise along the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body sucks air through the side surface and discharges air through the other side surface, and one of the baffles has a protrusion portion projecting from the end of the side from which air is discharged and having a certain height.
In a still further embodiment, a drum for a clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a rotating cylindrical body for housing clothes, and a plurality of baffles projecting from the inner circumference of the cylindrical body lengthwise along the cylindrical body, the plurality of baffles being formed so as to be inclined with respect to a normal direction of the cylindrical body.
The plurality of baffles is inclined with respect to the direction of rotation.
In yet another embodiment, a drum for a clothes dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a rotating cylindrical body for housing clothes, and a plurality of baffles projecting from an inner circumference of the cylindrical body lengthwise along the cylindrical body for lifting the clothes, wherein at least one baffle is installed at each disposal domain and is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the length of the cylindrical body when the inner circumference of the cylindrical body is divided into a plurality of disposal domains lengthwise along the cylindrical body.